Corporate Advocacy Program: The best way to manage and repair your business reputation. Hiding negative complaints is only a Band-Aid. Consumers want to see how businesses take care of business. All businesses will get complaints. How those businesses take care of those complaints is what separates good businesses from bad businesses.

Randy Collins advertised on 104.7 The Fish. His company is Praise Remodeling. He began work on our basement in March 2013. Everything seemed fine in the beginning. We were writing the checks a little quicker than the work was being done, but we believed him when he said he needed the money for the materials and workers.

Well, when the project was suppose to be done a month later, it wasn't done. he asked for more money for various things that should have been told to us up front - electrical panel, a new HVAC system for the basement. Previously he told us this wouldn't be needed because he could tie into the existing electrical panel and HVAC in our home. Mistakes happen, right, so we were fine.

Then he came to us asking for the last payment. Well, according to the contract, the last payment wasn't suppose to be made until after the work was complete. He said he needed the money because he had to get more materials and pay his workers. We refused because so much was not complete. So, we were at a stand still and he asked to take a break for a little while, like 2 weeks, finish a project some place else and come back to our home. We were fine with this.

Soon after, we had a worker come by to say he didn't get paid and he wanted to pick up something he left in our basement. Then, we realized that he had different workers in our basement. It was never the same people. I thought they may have been day laborers. The last set of workers also told us they didn't get paid and would not be completing the work on our home.

Finally, in June 2013, almost 2 more weeks after the additional extension, he was not done. But, me and my husband was done with him. He asked us to pay his subcontractor. We refused! We didn't have a contract with the subcontractor and we were not going to take that chance. The subcontractor called us saying Randy owed him over $5,000 and asked us to pay him. The subcontractor was Fred Bush - and guess what, he is on Ripoff Report!

Well, here my husband and I sit, with an unfinished basement. Some parts, on first glance do look nice. But, then you take the time to look at the finished portions, it is not good. The paint job is streaky. You can see the nails from where the dry wall was put up. He promised us a custom shower, and at the last minute, said it wouldn't fit (mind you, our bathroom in the basement is bigger than our upstairs bathroom).

We actually have a crooked wall in the basement. It is almost laughable. They ripped up the carpet in the living area (they said it was defective). The padding is not the cushiony padding I requested, but, a cheap builder's grade. Randy same it was the same, but from a different company. I am no contractor, but, I do know the difference between the 1/4 inch padding he put down and the 1/2 inch padding that I picked out.

We had a plumber come out, and the plumbing was done incorrectly. The hardwood floors are uneven; an electrician came out and said the live wires hanging out the walls (where lighting was supposed to be installed) was dangerous and should have been capped.

So far our estimate to have things fixed and done correctly is over $6,000; so it will probably be another year. He has been paid over 90% on the contract. We actually just spoke to a lady who saw our basement in the initial stages and hired Randy. We wasn't able to save her, but, she and her husband had very similar problems and will not allow him or Fred Bush (who she also dealt with) back on their property.

Last thing - he never used a trash receptacle for the wood, trash, etc, so we have a large patch of dead grass from where things were just left there. We have a video we made and our basement as proof of this work. We just thank God that it isn't worse.

Spare yourselves. Talk to your friends, get references, go see the work, and view the permits that companies are suppose to file.

Corporate Advocacy Program: The best way to manage and repair your business reputation. Hiding negative complaints is only a Band-Aid. Consumers want to see how businesses take care of business. All businesses will get complaints. How those businesses take care of those complaints is what separates good businesses from bad businesses.

AUTHOR: Randy - ()

SUBMITTED: Monday, July 01, 2013

POSTED: Monday, July 01, 2013

When we started the Simmons project, everything went well. We started the framing and noticed after making some customizations that the existing framing in the home wasn't done correctly and needed to be repaired badly before continuing. So I contacted the customer and told them in regards to the issue's, I also told them not to worry about the extra costs that I would take care of them and I did. It cost me a total of $687.00 in additional framing etc.

Then we continued the project without any issue's until we got to the HVAC, when we signed the contract we agreed on having the basement zoned out. So we attemted to do so, but my HVAC contractor ran tests and the existing HVAC units in the home weren't working properly. So at that point we could not just zone out the HVAC and we had to put a whole separate unit in for the basment alone. Putting a whole new unit would have cost approx: $5,000.00, but I told the customers that I would take care of it at no extra cost but it would be a used unit as I only had an addition $3,000.00 to spend on the unit. Even though it was a change that the customer was completely reponsable for and I still agreed to pay for it out of my own pocket.

So the system was run and ducting was run being ready to put in, and the customer didn't like the way the used unit looked so he didn't want it to be installed and he told me that it was my responsibility to put in a new unit, which is completely false.

At this point I was over $4,000 out of pocket trying to get the project done and help the customers. SO I had to tell them that we needed the final draw to finish the project, everything was completed except the flooring and some punchout work.

They denied giving me the final draw to get materials, even though I took care of the costs for all the extrawork and materials without asking for anything in return.

So the only thing I could do was work on another of my projects an earn money so that I could go back and purchase the materials to finish there project. But everyone who worked on the project was paid.

So that is exactly what I did, and I purchased all of the other materials to finish the project. The flooring that was chosen by the customer was all over budget, from the hardwood, the carpet and the tile.

But I still went above and beyond and bought everything and had it installed including the toilet, and vanity. We were suppose to put in a tile stand up shower but after we framed in the walls there wasn't enough room to do so.

I had to tell the customers that we couldn't install the shower unit because the room was to small and tight, I also tould them there would be some moneys deducted from the final draw.

But for some reason as soon as we had everything completed except some punchout work done, they told me that they didn't want us back on the site and we wouldn't be receiving the final draw from the contract.

So again I'm out of pocket because I had to pay for the labor being done.

This was a lesson for me, it makes me not want to help people anymore. My wife tells me all the time that I can't continue to help people like this, but I enjoy it and I am a Christian and I'm suppose to.

I guess I will just have to be smarter in the future, and handle my business differently.

I also contacted the Simmons again and even offered to come back at no charge to finish the punchout work for free but no reply so I'm guessing that this is it.

I do not believe it's right that someone can work so hard for 20 years to make a successful business and life, and thenhave someone in 5 minutes post something completely false and possibly ruin your business.

Corporate Advocacy Program: The best way to manage and repair your business reputation. Hiding negative complaints is only a Band-Aid. Consumers want to see how businesses take care of business. All businesses will get complaints. How those businesses take care of those complaints is what separates good businesses from bad businesses.